Farm toy show set for Sunday in Carthage

Organizers are gearing up for the 22nd annual Four State Farm Toy Show to be held on Sunday, at Carthage Memorial Hall, 407 S. Garrison.

Todd G. Higdon

CARTHAGE — Organizers are gearing up for the 22nd annual Four State Farm Toy Show to be held on Sunday, at Carthage Memorial Hall, 407 S. Garrison.

Show hours are from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., admission is $2, children 10 and under are free. Door prizes every hour. "We have vendors, there will be a vendor who sells parts for toys," said Don Polen, one of the organizers. "If you have a broken toy, he could have or can order parts for them. He restores them, too. We have parts people, people that has collectible toys for sale."

The farm toys range in size from 32nd scale to eighth scale and could be anything such as toy tractors, toy farm equipment to even the pedal tractors.

"I like farm toys," Polen said. "I am an accumulator. I don't collect any one brand. My (co-organizer) in the show, Tim Bartley, he is a collector of International."

Polen noted he displays his toy collection at Polen's Sales and Service in Asbury, Mo.

"I have most of them displayed down at my repair shop," he said. "I have a shelf there that runs around the top of the office that has farm toys on it."

There will be around 20 different vendors at the show and all ages are welcome to attend. Typically, they have between 300 to 400 people attend the show. It is always held on the second Sunday of February at Carthage's Memorial Hall. Asked if it was neat to find those who had restored a toy farm tractor, Polen said yes.

"It is fascinating to see how well some people can restore them rascals back to original," he said. "Some of them we call 'sandbox proven,' the ones that kids have played with, the paint is a little roughed up on them."When Polen travels around, he goes to toy shows.

"If I see something that suits my fancy, I buy it," he noted. "We travel from toy show to toy show."

For more information, call Don Polen at 642-5561 or Tim Bartley at 642-5528.